Interline CCD for still and video photography with extended dynamic range

• US 20060082670A1
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Parks, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/226,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20060082670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/445 by skipping some contiguous pixels within the read portion of the array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/575 with a response composed of multiple slopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/73 using interline transfer [IT]

Abstract

A method for reading out charge from an interlined CCD having a plurality of photo-sensing regions and a plurality of vertical shift registers, and each photosensitive region is mated respectively to a CCD of a vertical shift register and a color filter having a repeating pattern of two rows in which each row includes at least two colors that forms a plurality of 4 line sub-arrays sequentially numbered in the space domain; and the color filter spanning the photo-sensing regions, the method includes: (a) providing a plurality of pixels in which at least two or more pixels have a charge control structure used to change charge capacity during the integration time; wherein at substantially a beginning of an exposure time the charge capacity is altered to substantially zero by either the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time; (b) reading out lines 3 and 4 into the vertical shift register that keeps the colors separated; (c) transferring charge in the vertical shift register to respectively align charge from lines 3 and 4 with lines 1 and 2; (d) transferring charge from lines 1 and 2 into the vertical shift register to respectively sum with lines 3 and 4; and (e) reading out the charge in the vertical shift registers in a manner in which different colors are not summed together.

Claims

1. A method for reading out charge from an interlined CCD having a plurality of photo-sensing regions and a plurality of vertical shift registers, and each photosensitive region is mated respectively to a CCD of a vertical shift register and a color filter having a repeating pattern of two rows in which each row includes at least two colors that forms a plurality of 4 line sub-arrays sequentially numbered in the space domain;

and the color filter spanning the photo-sensing regions, the method comprising;

(a) providing a plurality of pixels in which at least two or more pixels have a charge control structure used to change charge capacity during the integration time;

wherein at substantially a beginning of an exposure time the charge capacity is altered to substantially zero by either the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time;

(b) reading out lines 3 and 4 into the vertical shift register that keeps the colors separated;

(c) transferring charge in the vertical shift register to respectively align charge from lines 3 and 4 with lines 1 and 2;

(d) transferring charge from lines 1 and 2 into the vertical shift register to respectively sum with lines 3 and 4; and

(e) reading out the charge in the vertical shift registers in a manner in which different colors are not summed together.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time such that substantially no portion of the pixel photo response curve is substantially linear.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein multiplying each pixel by a substantially constant value compensates variations of the charge capacity.

4. The method as in claim 2, wherein the charge capacity control structure is pulsed so as to substantially reproduce the photo response curve.

5. The method as in claim 3, wherein the charge capacity control structure is pulsed so as to substantially reproduce the photo response curve.

6. The method as in claim 3, wherein a look up table is used to translate the photo response curve into linear space for color filter processing.

7. The method as in claim 3, wherein multiplying gain change values are stored in a digital camera.

8. The method as in claim 2, wherein the capacity control structure is adjusted to produce the desired photo response curve substantially entirely within the duration of a flash lamp exposure.

9. The method as in claim 2, wherein the image sensor is disposed in a digital camera that includes a mechanism to switch between linear and nonlinear photo response.

10. The method as in claim 2, wherein the image sensor is an interline CCD in which images are substantially read out of a vertical CCD before starting the integration in photodiodes of any next images.

11. A method for reading out charge from an interlined CCD having a plurality of photo-sensing regions and a plurality of vertical shift registers, and each photosensitive region is mated respectively to a CCD of a vertical shift register and a color filter having a repeating pattern of two rows in which each row includes at least two colors;

and the color filter spanning the photo-sensing regions, the method comprising;

(a) providing a plurality of pixels in which at least two or more pixels have a charge control structure used to change charge capacity during the integration time;

wherein at substantially a beginning of an exposure time the charge capacity is altered to substantially zero by either the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time;

(b) summing together two or more of the same color from the multiple pattern of repeating rows in the vertical shift registers; and

(c) reading out the charge in the vertical shift registers in a manner in which different colors are not summed together.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time such that substantially no portion of the pixel photo response curve is substantially linear.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein multiplying each pixel by a substantially constant value compensates variations of the charge capacity.

14. The method as in claim 12, wherein the charge capacity control structure is pulsed so as to substantially reproduce the photo response curve.

15. The method as in claim 13, wherein the charge capacity control structure is pulsed so as to substantially reproduce the photo response curve.

16. The method as in claim 13, wherein a look up table is used to translate the photo response curve into linear space for color filter processing.

17. The method as in claim 13, wherein multiplying gain change values are stored in a digital camera.

18. The method as in claim 12, wherein the capacity control structure is adjusted to produce the desired photo response curve substantially entirely within the duration of a flash lamp exposure.

19. The method as in claim 12, wherein the image sensor is disposed in a digital camera that includes a mechanism to switch between linear and nonlinear photo response.

20. The method as in claim 12, wherein the image sensor is an interline CCD in which images are substantially read out of a vertical CCD before starting the integration in photodiodes of any next images.

21. A method for reading out charge from an interlined CCD having a plurality of photo-sensing regions and a plurality of vertical shift registers, and each photosensitive region is mated respectively to a CCD of a vertical shift register and a color filter having a repeating pattern of two rows in which each row includes at least two colors;

and the color filter spanning the photo-sensing regions, one or more horizontal shift registers receives charge from the plurality of vertical shift registers, the method comprising;

(a) providing a plurality of pixels in which at least two or more pixels have a charge control structure used to change charge capacity during the integration time;

wherein at substantially a beginning of an exposure time the charge capacity is altered to substantially zero by either the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time;

(b) reading out the charge in the vertical shift registers in a manner in which different colors are not summed together; and

(c) summing together two or more of the same color from within a multiple pattern of repeating rows in the horizontal shift registers.

22. The method as in claim 21, wherein the charge control structure or a read-out mechanism and the charge capacity is changed by the charge control structure throughout the exposure time such that substantially no portion of the pixel photo response curve is substantially linear.

23. The method as in claim 22, wherein multiplying each pixel by a substantially constant value compensates variations of the charge capacity.

24. The method as in claim 22, wherein the charge capacity control structure is pulsed so as to substantially reproduce the photo response curve.

25. The method as in claim 23, wherein the charge capacity control structure is pulsed so as to substantially reproduce the photo response curve.

26. The method as in claim 23, wherein a look up table is used to translate the photo response curve into linear space for color filter processing.

27. The method as in claim 23, wherein multiplying gain change values are stored in a digital camera.

28. The method as in claim 22, wherein the capacity control structure is adjusted to produce the desired photo response curve substantially entirely within the duration of a flash lamp exposure.

29. The method as in claim 22, wherein the image sensor is disposed in a digital camera that includes a mechanism to switch between linear and nonlinear photo response.

30. The method as in claim 22, wherein the image sensor is an interline CCD in which images are substantially read out of a vertical CCD before starting the integration in photodiodes of any next images.